Broadcast seed-sower



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. FREEMAN.

BROADCAST SEED SOWBR. No. 340.774. Patented Apr. 2'7, 1886.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. FREEMAN. BROADCAST SEED SOWBR.

Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN FREEMAN, OF RAGINE, \VISCONSIN.

BROADCAST SEED-SOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,774, dated April 27, 1886.

Application filed January 25, 1886.

To all whom; it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN FREEMAN, of

Racine, in the county of Racine, and in the State 1 which Figure 1 represents a rear view of my improved sower; Fig. 2, apartial plan view,with the hopperin horizontal section; Fig. 3, asimilar view with the hopper and top plate removed; Fig. 4-, a like view with the upper parts removed to show the relative position of the cut-off plates and delivery-opening; Fig. 5, a detail sectional view on line a: .r, Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a similar view on line 3 y, Fig. 2; and Fig. 7, a perspective view of a graduated disk.

The fioor A of my sewer consists of a single casting suitably recessed at one side upon its upper face to receive the cut-off plates B, a graduated rotary adjustable disk or plate, 0, and top plate, D, while at the same time it is designed to have bolted or otherwise secured thereto a hopper, E.

The casting A has upon its under face, near the forward end, a vertical flange, a, that extends from side to side, and is perforated at intervals to receive bolts 1), designed to unite said casting with the upper portion of a vertical board, F. The upper edge of the board F fits flush in the right-angular seat formed by the vertical flange a and that portion, 0, of the casting A projecting beyond said flange.

The rear portion of the casting A is supported by stay-rods d, bolted or otherwise suitably secured to said casting and to the vertical board F, the latter being either secured to or forming part of a vehicle.

Formed integral with the casting A are depending seats 6 for springs f, said springs bearing against the cut-off plates B, and exerting their power to keep the latter up against the under side of the graduated disk 0, to thus prevent the seed from escaping when said plates are closed, and the casting is provided at the Serial No. 180,609. (No moduli rear end of its recessed portion with the usual slot, that permits the discharge of such seed as may be forced back by the closing of the parts B.

The casting A is also provided upon the under side of its recessed portion with a hearing, it, for the shaft G of a distributer, H, and this recessed portion of the casting has an opening, 2', through which the seed in its passage from the hopper E is finally discharged upon said distributer, this opening being at an angle to the horizontal plane of the seeder.

The upper end of the distributer-shaft G is provided with the usual stirring pin, G, that comes within the hopper, and the lower end of this shaft is seated in an arm of a bracket, I, that is secured to the vertical board F.

As is usual in this particular class of de vices, the hub of the distributer H carries or is formed on the under side with a bevel-pinion, K, that meshes with bevel-teeth on the adjacent face of adrivingwheel, L. The shaft M of the driving-wheel has its bearings in arms of the brackets I I, that are secured to the vertical board F, and said shaft carries at its outer end the usual loose sprocket-wheel, N, and fixed clutch-wheel 0, said sprocketwheel being provided with clutch-teeth adapted to engage the part 0. In this instance the hub It of the sprocketwheel is made plain and adapted to snugly fit a ring, m, at the outer end of an angular arm, 1, that has its inner end pivotally connected to the lower arm, a, of a rock-shaft, 1t, operative in bearings 0, respectively formed upon the arm of the bracket 1 and casting A, (the latter bearing only being shown in the drawings.) The ring m, that terminates the arm 1, is retained in operative position against the sprocket-wheel N by means of a detachable collar, 19, fitting the hub is, and by this construction the mechanism for throwing the parts N O in and out of gear is always in place, and cannot become dislodged by any jarring of the vehicle supporting the sower, as is sometimes the case where the hub of the sprocket-wheel is grooved and engaged by the fingers ofa fork or spanner.

The upper arm, a, of the rocleshaft It projects out over the upper face of the casting A, and has the usual housing, a", for a spring-dog, S, designed to engage a toothed quadrant, r,

integral with the casting A, said dog being provided with a thumb-nut, S, so that it can be readily disengaged from the quadrant-teeth when necessary or desirable.

The disk 0 has a central perforation, s, that is adapted to register with other perforations respectively formed in the casting A and top plate, D, and a bolt, 8, serves to retain these several parts in operative position and form the axis upon which said disk is rotated, as occasion may require, for the purpose hereinafter specified; and in order to clear the bolts the cut-off plates B are each recessed, as shown at b, Fig. 4.

W hen the disk is secured in operative position, as above described, it is eccentric to the distributer-shaft G, and extending around said disk near its outer edge is a series of perforations, t, that are equidistant apart and designed to engage a spring-dog, T, operatively secured in a housing, T, integral with the top plate, D, said dog being provided with a thumb-nut, T", so that it can be readily disengaged from the disk when it is desired to adjust the latter.

The body portion of the disk 0 is provided with a series of graduated openings, at a, arranged in pairs, and around the outer edge of said disk are a series of depressions, o o, corresponding in number to the several pairs of openings. The openings an are graduated to regulate the amount of seed of various kinds desirable to be sown to an acre of ground, and are so arranged that each pair may be brought over the opening i in the casting A and in line therewith, the distance from the center of the distributer-shaft to the center of each opening being approximatelyrelative.

Vhen any pair of openings in the disk is in position for allowing escape of the seed from the hopper, one of the depressions n will be exposed to view at the forward port-ion of the machine, the top plate, D, being cut away at this point to permit of said exposure. The depressions o are severally provided with letters and figures (either or both) denoting the kind and quantity of seed the corresponding pairs of openings, a a, will permit to pass from the hopper to the distributer when the machine is in operation, thus permitting the operator to readily adjust the disk so'as to sow the proper quantity of any particular seed that may be or is necessary to each acre of ground.

To set the disk 0, the spring-dog T is held up and said disk rotated in either direction until the letters and figures denoting the kind and quantity of seed per acre desired to be sown are exposed, as above described, when, on

. releasing the dog,it will automatically engage one of the perforations t as the latter comes into register with said dog. By this engageeral openings when in register being on the same relative angle to the horizontal plane of the distributer.

The metal composing the top plate, D, is beveled off at that side of each opening a that the stirring-pin G passes over, so as' to prevent the seed falling in front of them, and thereby resist the action of said pin.

In order that my device shall be applicable to the sowing of a great variety of seed, it is intended that each machine shall be accompanied with a series of graduated disks, constructed with varyingsized deliveryopenings, according to theamount of each kind of seed necessary or desirable to be sown to the acre.

At any time that it may be desirable to sow half the quantity to which the machine may be adjusted, it is only necessary to push in one of the plates B, thereby cutting off the discharge from one of the disk-openings that may be in position at the time, and by pushing in both plates the discharge from the hopper is entirely out off.

By the peculiar arrangement of the respective openings in the casting A, disk 0, and top plate, D, the seed from the hopper falls on the distributer toward the front of the device, and at such a distance from the center of this distributer as has been found by practice to be the best for the proper sowing of said seed.

By providing the sower with a rotary adj ustable disk having a series of graduated openings adapted to register with openings in the casting or floor A and top plate, D, a considerable economy in sowing is accomplished and the graduationfor the different seed is more readily effected than is possible in machines of the ordinary construction.

To remove one disk for the substitution of another, it is only necessary to take out the bolt 8', when said disk can be slid out and the other inserted without in any way disarranging the other parts of the device.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a sower, a rotary adjustable disk having its body portion provided with a series of graduated openings arranged in pairs, and a series of perforations around near its outer edge, in combination with a suitable dog or stop adapted to engage said perforations, as set forth.

2. In a sewer, a rotary adjustable disk having its body portion provided with a series of graduated openings arranged in pairs, a series of perforations, and a series of indicators around its outer edge, said perforations and indicators being relative to the openings, as set forth.

3. In a sower, the floor thereof, provided with depending seats and suitable springs located in said seats and designed to exert their power against the cut-off plates, whereby the latter are held .up against the under side of the graduated disk, as set forth.

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4. In a sewer, the floor thereof, consisting of a single casting integrally formed with a distributer-sha-ft bearing, spring-seats, depend ing vertical flange, tooth-quadrant, and rockshaft bearing, said casting being suitably recessed to receive the cut-off, seed-delivery, and top plates, as set forth.

5. In a sewer, the floor thereof, consisting of a single casting suitably recessed to receive the cut-off and seed-delivery plates,in combination with a top plate having beveled openings, as set forth.

6. In a sewer, the floor thereof, provided with a slot at an angle to its horizontal plane, in combination with a rotary adjustable disk having a series of graduated openings arranged in pairs, and a top plate having beveled openings, said openings in the disk and top plate arranged on the same relative plane with the floor-slot when in operative position, as set forth.

7. In a sewer having a clutch-faced sprocket-Wheel adapted to engage a fixed clutch on the driving-shaft, the hub of said wheel made plain, in combination with an angular arm operated by a rock-shaft and terminating in a ring adapted to fit the hub, and a binding-collar, also adapted to fit said huband retain the ring in operative position, as set forth.

ed to engage the top-plate dog, and cut-off 35 plates arranged to bear closely against said disk, as set forth.

9. In a sewer, a detachable top plate cut away at its forward end, and having an integral housing and beveled openings, in combination with a rotary adjustable disk provided with a series of graduated openings arranged in pairs and adapted to be brought into register with said top-plate openings, the disk having a series of perforations near its outer edge, designed to engage an automatic dog operative in the top-plate housing, said disk also having a series of indicators exposable at the cutaway portion of the top plate, as set forth. In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Visconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN FREEMAN.

\Vitnesses:

F. M. FIsH, N. E. OLIPHANI. 

